The Alex provides 83 units of housing for women, women and children and for women-headed families, 100 percent of which will be non-market and affordable. Priority will be given to women and children who currently live in the Port Coquitlam and Tri-Cities area and to those who were forced to leave the Tri-Cities area in search of safe, affordable housing, but who may still have family and support networks in the Tri-Cities communities. Women and children from the Kwikwetlem Nation will also have priority access. Study after study shows that safe, affordable and appropriate housing plays a central role in allowing women and families who are marginalized to re-establish their lives. Stable housing is, in fact, the foundation for positive change in the lives of women and their children. It reduces levels of stress and can change the perspectives of women by providing them the opportunity to empower themselves and therefore generate a positive, healthy and nurturing environment for their children. Housing at The Alex will provide a safe, welcoming, affordable home for women and children, a home from which hope and possibility can flow.